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Albino-squirrel club mourns lucky mascot's death

09:27 PM CDT on Wednesday, August 30, 2006

By MATTHEW ZABEL / Denton Record-Chronicle

University of North Texas students are mourning the loss of the campus albino squirrel that they believed brought them good luck on exams.

A hawk attacked and killed the squirrel last week.

The loss is especially painful for the Albino Squirrel Preservation Society, a 4-year-old student organization dedicated to the squirrel that has more than 400 members, according to its Web site.

An informal service is planned Friday near the squirrel's home. T.J. Zambrano, the club's founder and president, said someone saw the attack and eventually the news got to the group.

The squirrel's death is sad for everyone, but the club will continue, he said.

"UNT is pretty special, so we figure we'll probably get another albino squirrel sooner or later," he said.

The squirrel lived near the loading docks behind the University Union, he said.

Mr. Zambrano said he is planning an informal memorial service during the noon hour Friday near the squirrel's home so students can mourn and share their own squirrel stories.

Andy Hogue, the squirrel society's Student Government Association squirrel liaison emeritus and alumni director, said Tuesday that he had not heard of the squirrel's death, but he is certain students will continue their love for albino squirrels.

"I remain confident that when another ghost of the trees appears on campus in future semesters, there will be a new generation of Eagles willing to take the albino squirrel under their wings," Mr. Hogue said.

Mr. Hogue said the squirrel was the second on campus since the club started. The first, Thelonius, inspired students to form the society in 2002 but disappeared in 2003.

The albino squirrel that died last week first appeared in 2004, according to the society's Web site.

Anybody got a can of white paint? We could make all their squirrels albino.

abezontar wrote:Anybody got a can of white paint? We could make all their squirrels albino.

Won't bleach do the same thing?

or maybe peroxide

Or just fear of seeing a Hawk

R.I.P., stinkin' rodent.

Does anyone find it ironic that a predatory bird killed their lucky charm squirrel? Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the official mascot for UNT an Eagle? As an aside, perhaps our fans should wear white squirrel hats to the game. Maybe not, squirrel doesn't look very good with Ralph Lauren and it'll be hot that day and we don't want to show visible signs of perspiration.

Fried squirrel tastes good. But only if it's cat squirel, fox squirrel is too tough.

be nice...............it`s NTSC................................

but he is certain students will continue their love for albino squirrels

Not that there's anything wrong with that.......

Peruna_Ate_My_Rolex wrote:University of North Texas students are mourning the loss of the campus albino squirrel that they believed brought them good luck on exams.

A hawk attacked and killed the squirrel last week.

Hope it wasn't wrong that I started laughing after I read those two sentences.

PETA alert!!!!!

BTW, this made the Channel 8 news last night.

The squirrel didn't die!!!! It moved to Wichita Falls!!!

http://www.timesrecordnews.com/trn/et_l ... 87,00.html

On the hunt
Albino squirrel eludes reporter, photographer

By Judith K. McGinnis/Times Record News
August 31, 2006

This sighting of an albino squirrel has surprised neighbors in the Capeheart Addition of Sheppard Air Force Base. While albinism may occur in one of every 20,000 humans, it is far rarer in the animal kingdom. The light coloration makes albino animals easier targets for predators so few live long enough to pass on the gene.

The same thought crossed everybody's mind as we wandered the streets of Sheppard Air Force Base housing, looking up intently into the trees.

"If somebody asks us what we're doing, do we tell them we're looking for an albino squirrel?"

It wasn't until Diana Peach had photographs and two eyewitnesses that she thought it was safe to invite a newspaper reporter and photographer to take a look for themselves.

"The first time my daughter and I saw it, we thought it was a white kitten," she said, laughing. "Then we got a good look at it and thought, 'Oh my gosh! It's an albino squirrel!' We'd never seen anything like that before in our lives."

Peach provided time coordinates when the critter might be the most active and volunteered to join in the search. With perfect weather and a neighborhood where almost every other tree is a pecan, it seemed like a fairly sure thing.

An hour passed and no albino. As a matter of fact, only a single brown squirrel showed up, and he wouldn't tell us where that little white guy was hanging out.

Photos of "Whitey" and his (or her) distinct pink eyes make clear that this is an albino squirrel, not a garden variety white squirrel like the ones at least four small American towns claim to be the "Home Of." (Really, the police in Olney, Ill., have a white squirrel on their shoulder patch.)

In 2001, students at the University of Texas formed the Albino Squirrel Preservation Society (www.albinosquirrel.com) to "foster compassion and goodwill toward albino squirrels." On campus, seeing an albino squirrel is supposed to bring good luck on exams.

At the second hour mark, still no Whitey. In every other neighborhood in Wichita Falls, squirrels were racing about as if winter were only weeks away. Here, the trees seemed eerily abandoned.

Did Whitey have a dentist appointment that morning? Had he intercepted our e-mails and refused to be hounded by the paparazzi? Or had that unique lack of pigmentation finally brought him to the attention of a predator?

"Actually, this is one of the safest places he could be," said Peach. "There's a 20 mph speed limit, nobody around here's going to shoot him and roaming cats aren't allowed."



You know Denton is going downhill when the albino squirrel moves to Wichita Falls.

Uhm

uhm

uhm

it's a squirrel.